Kevin Winter/Getty Images; Stephen Lovekin/Getty ImagesHoward Stern today saluted a fallen friend.
The King of All Media lovingly paid tribute to longtime show regular Greg Giraldo, who died Wednesday after an accidental overdose of prescription meds over the weekend.
"He was funny as hell," Stern said of the Last Comic Standing host at the beginning of today's radio show, adding that Giraldo had been struggling with "demons" for some time.
"I didn't think it was that serious," Stern said of the initial reports of the OD. "But apparently it was."
He played some audio of Giraldo roasting show producer Gary Dell'Abate a few years ago, saying Giraldo "killed" and calling his jokes "terrific."
Stern and sidekick Robin Quivers even managed to work in a little lighthearted humor about the stand-up star—just the way he would have wanted it.
"Comedians liked making fun of him because he wasn't that famous," Stern said.
Robin piped in, laughing, saying she heard newscasters mistakenly calling him Greg ''Heraldo'' on the news this morning.
"I worked with him on a roast and didn't see any out-of-control behavior," she added on a more serious note.
Meanwhile, there will be a tribute for Giraldo this Friday night at Governor's Comedy Club in Levittown, N.Y., where he had been scheduled to perform. Club manager John Trueson said they had been expecting a packed house for all of Giraldo's sets.
"We were nearly sold out," Trueson told E! News. "Greg was one of the nicest guys I've ever known , it's just awful. He was a brilliant comic. I've been in comedy for 30 years and he still makes me laugh. He was a brilliant performer."
Trueson said that the club will play video of Giraldo's performances on monitors and all money from the $10 door donations will go to the comic's family (Giraldo was divorced and had four kids), who will not be attending, but who have OK'd the tribute.